Friday, December 31, 2010

Just in time, thank god I woke up before the game...really haven't been well these last few days.

The Red Wings end the year with a match with the Islanders, who tromped all over Detroit 6-0 the last time the two teams faced off. Let's see if we can't turn that score around this time and end 2010 on the really good note!

With it so close to gametime, I'm going to mix it up and come back to update my thoughts between each period, so stay tuned, Wingnuts, there's more to come!!

Let's Go Red Wings!!

1st Period

(7:28 EST) - Wings are looking better after a pair of flat PP chances. Mule just scored off a nice, quick feed from Hank, Wings up 1-0. SOG are 9-0.

(7:32) - Bert just ran over Roloson out-of-crease and the Islanders got their own PP, scoring on their first shot. The Wings need to keep applying pressure here and not let this deflate them early.

(7:42) - The Wings are doing well at clogging up the neutral zone, but are lagging a bit when the Isles do manage to get into Detroit's end. Need to keep New York's shot total down and keep to their style of play.

2nd Period

(8:14) - Passed out for the start of the period, nice to see there's been no more damage done, but sad to see Detroit hasn't been able to score in almost 10 minutes of play...

(8:22) - Just had a big chance on the PP but Dwayne Roloson robbed Kronner. Still finding the Wings are passing WAY too much on the PP and not driving the net looking for rebounds.

(8:32) - Wings are looking slow out there now, and VERY bad on the draw. Another bad faceoff just went in the net, 3-1 Isles right now with the period about to end.

3rd Period

(8:58) - Invited out to a NYE party and have to leave early, I'll leave you with this thought that I brought up on Twitter: The Islanders have been making much better choices when a scoring chance presents itself. The Wings need to take notes and start doing the same. Cut the cute passing crap and drive the net, drive Roloson crazy, and get some more pucks past him. Also? Start winning some damned defensive zone faceoffs!!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

There's that damned number. It's staring Chris Osgood right in the face. It's staring all of us in the face, but we all know that it's the last thing on Ozzie's mind. As the Red Wings come off a thrilling OT win against Vancouver, they land in St. Louis for the date with the Blues, one of Chris's former teams. You want a fitting time for Osgood to win #400? How about doing it in front of two of the teams he's played for? Not at home? I don't care. A win is a win, and at the end of the night, Ozzie will be more pleased to walk away with 2 points for his team than his 400th win.

Just to switch it up, instead of the Geek's Winning Formula, I'm going to give you The Geek's Straight-A Star of the Game. Tonight, I'm expecting a Straight-A performance from Henrik Zetterberg. With Pavel Datsyuk out four weeks with a busted hand, I expect Hank to step up huge, and I expect he will start tonight. My report card for Z: 1G, 2A.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Babs, you got it half-right. You listened to your players, that's good. The bad part is you listened at the wrong time. Do you think I give a shit if Ozzie gets his 400th win at home or on the road? Hell no! A win is a win, and it's not like there'd be any special celebration for him at the end of the game just because it's at the Joe!

Bottom line, Osgood would've won in Chicago and Howard would've won against Dallas, and those 4 points would mean a whole lot more to me right now than trying to inflate Ozzie's non-existent ego by winning at home.

Next time, the players defer to the coach and not the other way around. 400 will come, but not by forcing it, Dallas proved that to us.

On tap tonight is the Red Wings VS the Canucks, with Jimmah in the crease. I'm still upset at my Wings for not being able to get one measly win the day before OR after my birthday, so no Geek's Winning Formula for them tonight! They can figure this shit out on their own for once. Maybe if they pull out a win, I'll forgive them...

Friday, December 17, 2010

Everyone enjoy their curly fries? I thought so. Now we have another big moment ready to go, as Chris Osgood sets his sights on win #400 when the Chicago Blackhawks come to town. Ozzie beat the Hawks in the only other match these two teams have had this season, and hopefully he can pull off another one tonight for the milestone marker!

I'm going to give the Formula a rest tonight, but the Wings should know what to do. They know they're style of hockey and how to best utilize it. They just need to play hard and keep the rhythm on their side.

I'm going to be going out tonight, so I'll probably miss the game, sadly. It is my birthday at midnight though, so an early birthday present W and Ozzie hitting his milestone would be awesome!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

After a disappointing loss to Los Angeles, the Red Wings will need to bring the same heat to the Joe tonight and hope that they run into a much colder goalie when Jaroslav Halak and the Blues come to town.

Detroit put 51 shots on Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick, but Quick's performance was fast and furious, shutting the Red Wings out for the first time this season. The Wings hope to bounce back from this, and to do so against the Blues, they'll need to remember a few things that are summed up in that segment we like to call The Geek's Winning Formula:

1.) Don't Give Up on Shooting - Wouldn't it just figure that the game the Red Wings listen to me about shooting more, they get shut out? Detroit can't give up on this, though! They had the right idea, but just ran into the wrong goalie at the wrong time. I would love to see another goalie stand up to 51 Red Wings shots and not give up at least 2 goals, if not more.

2.) Shake it Off -Jimmy Howard is starting again tonight, so he needs to put the past in the past. I'm sure he has little trouble doing this, but it never hurts to mention it, you never know. We need Jimmah to get back to his regular sparkling form to keep the gap between the Wings and the West nice and wide.

3.) Break the Huddles Hex - Honestly, Babs, if you're going to waste a roster space on Jiri Hudler, you damn well better find something that turns into pucks in the net. Hudler has 1 point since November 17. 1 POINT! We could play anyone in his spot and they could get at least a point in a month. I'm sick of waiting for this offensive boost Jiri's return was supposed to herald. It hasn't, so if one of the best coaches in the NHL can't help him, sit him the hell down and get ready to cut him loose for something better.

I'll miss the start of the game, but I should only be absent for the 1st period at most.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

After going winless in three before last night's game, it's safe to assume Detroit is not considering any team as an easy matchup. The Wings travel to Jersey for a date with the Devils. While they may not look like much in the standings, don't ever count out a team playing one of the most successful goalies in hockey. Reports show it'll be Osgood VS Brodeur in the clash of the creasemen tonight, with Ozzie still looking for win 399, which would be win #1 in New Jersey for the veteran netminder who has never left the city with a W.

To bring that W home, let's look at The Geek's Winning Formula:

1.) Better Backchecking - The Wings have giving up a few goals that could have been saved if backcheckers were skating better. Our transition game has only been good one way, and I say good because even offensive transitions haven't been stellar. If it must come to pass that we give up the puck here and there, we have to have guys skating hard back down the ice for support for the D-men.

2.) Focus on the Face-Off - That first goal last night? That was piss poor communicating by the Wings on the draw. We can't go screwing up assignments like that, no wonder we've been shitting the bed in draws this season...! Someone on the CBC feed last night said it best: Play the draw like you're going to lose, at least then, you're setup for that scenario. If you win it...well great!

3.) Traffic, Traffic, Traffic! - I can't say this enough. It's been working more than the cutesy plays, boys! I know you don't like doing it, but that's the way it is. The Red Wings need to drive harder to the net. Screens and redirects and muscling to the goal have been a huge part of our offense this year. Dats had it right last night with the beauty he scored: he wanted the goal and he wasn't letting ANYTHING stand in his way.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Another quick one, I've had some crap to deal with recently and I'm sorry the quality of the posts isn't up to snuff. Once things get ironed out, TDG should be back to normal as well.

Don't forget to vote Curly at Fox Sports Detroit, either! Only a couple days left and we're winning the fight!!

Here's The Geek's Winning Formula for tonight's match:

1.) Marathon, not Sprint - As we witnessed against the Sharks, it does nobody any good to get an early lead if you waste all your gas doing it. Detroit bottomed out last game and the boys need to remember to save some energy for the later stages of the game.

2.) Buckle Down - The plays need to be sharp tonight, none of this unnecessarily cute business. Be aware of where linemates are moving and don't let go of the puck recklessly. Puck-possession teams shouldn't be producing turnovers like bakeries.

3.) Stand Tall - Howie gets the start again tonight and should shake off the bad taste of last game. As long as he does his job, then it's up to the offense to put the game away.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Arguably the most love/hate goalie to ever wear the Winged Wheel will be suiting up for action tonight as Chris Osgood and Detroit land in Los Angeles to try and dethrone the Kings who have gotten the better of the Red Wings in the last two meetings.

Also, Kris Draper will be skating tonight, so someone will again be rotated out. Based on last game, I hope like hell it's Jiri Hudler because I'm getting tired of his lack of productivity.

To help turn our poor luck against these foes, let's look at The Geek's Winning Formula!

1.) Dominate Face-offs - With Drapes coming back, I'm hoping our draw percentage goes way up. We've not been winning the amount of draws we should be for a puck-possession style team. If we've been having such trouble against LA recently, the last thing we need to do is give them more time with the puck.

2.) Don't be Scared to Shoot! - Still this is happening and still it is frustrating me! Why are so many Wings forwards afraid to let rip a shot? I can understand a pass or two to open up lanes for a better chance, but there's just some times where you've got to let go a rocket and hope for the best, or that someone might...

3.) Create Traffic - We might see more confidence in shooting from our forwards if people would start creating more ruckus in front of the net and drive to the crease looking for rebounds. It seems to me that we focus to much on keeping everyone on the perimeter to cycle the puck and rarely does anyone but Homer or Cleary push to the net area. We need to try harder for second chances and rebounds.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Detroit continues their California roadtrip with a visit to Anaheim to square off against the Ducks.

NOW ON TO REAL NEWS

Supposing a Red Wings player scores a hatty tonight, do you REALLY want a stupid BURGER for the accomplishment? The correct answer is NO, you DON'T want a stupid BURGER, you want CURLY FRIES!

Well guess what, Wingnuts? Unless you've been under a rock the last day or so, we finally have a chance to right this wrong!! Go to this link and vote for your beloved curly fries (or be a loser and vote for stupid roast beef)! Voting is on from now till December 10, and the winner will be declared triumphantly on December 11.

Let's look at The Geek's Winning Formula!

1.) CURLY FRIES! - Detroit has mustered some pretty good offense this season and it would be nice to keep it going tonight, maybe give Mick a reason to yell CURL-mmmmm, not just yet...

2.) CURLY FRIES!! - Anaheim doesn't get curly fries for a hat-trick, I doubt Anaheim even 'gets' gets it. As such, the Red Wings need to keep the Ducks' productivity down, stay tight and battle hard along the boards, win the battles for puck control and maximize time in the offensive zone. Above all: WIN FACEOFFS. We haven't been doing that enough...

3.) CURLY FRIES!!! - We will maximize our chances of what should be curly fries if we capitalize on powerplay opportunities. Similarly, we can minimize Anaheim's chance of getting some dumb loser prize (probably roast beef) by being disciplined and not giving the Ducks unnecessary chances on their man-advantage. This logic dictates one thing: smart hockey = curly fries. That is all.